Baldev Singh (Hindi: बलदेव सिंह) was an Indian Sikh political leader, he was an Indian independence movement leader and the first Defence Minister of India. Moreover, he represented the Punjabi Sikh community in the processes of negotiations that resulted in the independence of India, as well as the Partition of India in 1947.After independence, Baldev Singh was chosen to become the first Minister of Defence, and served in this post during the first Kashmir war between India and Pakistan.